The race of elephants.

Brand loyalty is a crazy thing. It’s often absent of logic or sound financial reasoning. Not horsepower, nor torque, nor towing capacity can change the mind of a loyal pickup truck buyer in the majority of situations. If you own a specific make and model, you buy that make and model again and again until you’re buried in it regardless of the what the competition is offering. That’s what makes this ad from Chevy so fascinating. Yes, it’s a race between a Silverado 3500HD and a FordSuper Duty where the Ford loses, but it won’t persuade a gaggle of Blue Oval loyalist to the side with the bowtie.

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There’s also the fact that this is an advertisement right on Chevy’s own YouTube channel. That raises enough concern in the minds of loyal Ford owners the race was rigged. Chevy isn’t too forthcoming on what engine and transmission are in the Ford Super Duty.

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Maybe the drivers aren’t giving the Ford all its got. Are the payloads really equal? These are questions that become Reddit conspiracy theories if left unanswered. It’ll also lead to angry internet comments about which truck is actually the best. At worst, the video only energizes Chevy’s base while angering the other side. It’s an online automotive fistfight.

It makes sense for Chevy to make ads like this. The Ford F-Series remains America’s best-selling model. In 2017, Ford sold 896,764 F-Series trucks. Chevy sold 585,864 Silverado pickup trucks during the same year. Chevy would need to work hard to make a dent in Ford’s sales lead. However, while the video won’t persuade many to abandoned Ford, it could lure new buyers. Truck sales are up in 2017, riding the wave of car buyers who are shunning sedans and other small cars. Crossovers and trucks are kings right now, and this ad only exemplifies how hard automakers are fighting for new sales.